VISITORS TO HOSPITAL

Updated - effective from 14 May 2020 until further notice. Under COVID-19 Alert Level 2 visitor access to health facilities continues to be restricted.– details for all facilities...

Last updated:29 April 2020

Please remember, limiting our interactions with others is our best defence against COVID-19. Please don’t visit the hospital if you don’t need to. The following level 2 visitor restrictions are in place for all Canterbury DHB health facilities:

Visitors will be screened and asked to provide contact details upon arrival

Visitors who are unwell or have suspicion of COVID-19 will not be able to enter

Aged residential care: no visitors, however, family visits for palliative care residents who do not have COVID-19 will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Specific and detailed visitor restrictions that apply to each hospital are available on our COVID-19 page.

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Christchurch Hospital's Emergency Department has seen a number of people suffering from probable severe synthetic cannabis toxicity over the past 48 hours. As at 9am Friday 21 Sept, we have treated 10 people, including three that are still in the Intensive Care Unit. Nine of them are male and one is female, ranging in age from 17 to 59 yrs old.

Paul Gee, Emergency Medicine Specialist, Canterbury DHB says there has been a noticeable increase in patient attendances at the Emergency Department for side effects of synthetic cannabis use.

Some have minor adverse effects but others are more serious. Last month a man suffered a cardiac arrest after using synthetic cannabis but was successfully resuscitated.

Toxicology analysis has identified the substance taken by the patients as either AMB-FUBINACA or AB-FUBINACA.

AMB-FUBINACA has been linked to numerous deaths in the North Island during the past year.

Canterbury DHB is unable to give any information (such as its street name) to help drug users identify this potentially lethal drug at this stage as patients were unable to disclose any useful information.

Synthetic cannabis users in Canterbury should be extremely cautious.

“There are dangerous synthetic drugs available and taking them could seriously harm or kill you,” Dr Gee said.

Drug and addiction help can be accessed at Tuhauora, Christchurch's Central Coordination Servicechchaod@odysseychch.org.nz or call the Alcohol and Drug Helpline 0800 787 797.